Front Line War
by Ebony Mitsu
Summary: Investigator, Operative, Specialist. No matter which category an agent falls into, they are always in the midst of the battle against Time and those forces that want nothing more than to tear our world asunder. They fight the forces we cannot even begin to imagine. No matter their role or rank, these agents are always on the front line of the war.


**This is my first time writing in this particular fandom, so forgive me if at first some characters seem OOC. This will be continued, but I aim to do so in a similar way to the TV series; updates won't happen until all of a story arc/assignment/adventure is complete. As such updates may be few and far between, sporadic for the most part but with periods of regular updates. And I fully intend to bring some of the "mentioned but no-show" agents out to play as well as some of the ones we met (in the TV _and_ the radio shows, though Ruby's powers right now are a challenge).**

**I am also keeping something hinted at in the TV show; the relationships between the agents. Any of you who have watched the series know that these relationships are complex on so many levels it's ridiculous. There are so many hints that I can't resist.**

**Bearing that in mind I hope you still enjoy what I present and don't let the lack of updates affect you too much. I'd love to know what you think, and if you haven't watched Assignment Six of the TV show yet I suggest you do before going any further, or you could end up very confused; I couldn't just leave them there ^.^'**

* * *

_**All irregularities will be handled by the forces controlling each dimension. Transuranic, heavy elements may not be used where there is life. Medium atomic weights are available: Gold, Lead, Copper, Jet, Diamond, Radium, Sapphire, Silver and Steel. Sapphire and Steel have been assigned. **_

**Chapter 000: Assignment 6**

Dismay.

That was what gripped Silver in the moment he realised what had happened. That and a healthy dose of horror; now that the trap was sprung he could tell what its use was. As loathe as he was to admit it, the beings who had designed this cage had done an amazing job. There were no true flaws that he could see – none that he could take advantage of at any rate – and it was entirely self sustaining.

The little roadside rest stop had simply wavered and vanished before his eyes as Silver had looked on, left on the outside with no way in. And no way out for the comrades caught inside.

Absently he fingered the little box in his left hand, a replica of the one the _other beings_ had just used to trap Sapphire and Steel within time and space. He looked down at it, frowning. Those other beings were still around; he could sense them vaguely, walking the perimeter as he had just done, checking for fatal flaws in their design.

That damn Johnny Jack, the cheek of him. Smirking like that when Silver was trying, desperately, to think of a way to reverse this god awful situation. If he couldn't work out a way to reverse this . . . why, Copper would kill him! He could already hear the argument.

A thoughtful expression stole its way across Silver's face. Copper . . .

He stole another look at the device in his hand, then at the space before him, reaching for that part of himself that, like his partner, was sensitive to his surroundings. His element had one of the highest electrical conductivity; the least he could do was gather a bit of information first. The problem was he wasn't as used to using his power this way as Copper was; Silver mainly used it to affect other objects, their atomic structure and so on.

One of the beings glanced his way sharply and he hastily pulled the power back into himself; best not alert them, especially if his plan had any chance of success. He thought there was something there, but it wasn't quite electrical. Maybe magnetic?

_'Copper?'_

Nothing. He gave a frustrated sigh. Was he really going to be ignored again? Why did he have to be stuck with the temperamental partner?

Without warning, his thoughts turned to Mercury.

Ok, maybe he should count himself lucky then; Copper wasn't _that_ bad after all.

_'Copper!' _

Nothing. Another few tries, each progressively louder, and then;

"You're lucky I'm even talking to you right now."

Silver jumped, caught off guard when her response came from behind him and not in his mind like it normally would. Glad that she had responded at all, he turned to greet her.

Copper was among the more vibrant of the elements; her hair was wavy and auburn, her eyes brown, and she had a penchant for fiery colours; her current ensemble consisted of a pair of charcoal black trousers, black boots and a two-toned orange-gold silk shirt, tailored to fit her.

"So nice to see you again Copper. It's been too long." he smiled, though to him it felt a little forced.

"Don't give me that; you know I was on an assignment." She looked away, then looked beyond him, her eyes showing sparks of interest. "What in the universe . . .? Silver, what did you do?" this last was said almost as an accusation.

"Oh I didn't do anything. Honest." He glanced behind him. "I need your help."

Now that had her attention. Copper blinked at him. "Never thought I'd hear that."

"Shush." He glanced over his shoulder again; had they noticed her arrival? Did they just not care?

"Hey, Silver," she said slowly, ignoring for the moment that he had _shushed_ her, "I thought you were on assignment with someone." She vaguely recalled that conversation.

As usual, he took a minute to process what was said to him. "Yes, Sapphire and Steel." he frowned at a nearby bush. "But it wasn't a real assignment. We were tricked."

"So where are they?"

No verbal response; he only handed her the box in his hand, a second hurriedly made duplicate.

She took it without question and turned it over between her hands, exploring its shape. Then she looked up at him. "You're kidding me, right? You don't need my help with this."

"Believe me, if I could avoid the sermon I would." he informed her through gritted teeth. "But I have no choice. If I was in there with them maybe I could do something, create some sort of a tool. But I am out here where I can't help them. I've already walked the perimeter where the structure used to stand. There are simply no weak points that I can take advantage of."

Copper was silent for a minute more, watching something over his shoulder. Now that he thought about it he was amazed one of those things hadn't come over here; she was dressed brightly enough that they should have been able to see her without a problem. "It's still there, Silver." she said at last.

"What?"

"The building you mentioned. It is still there. It has probably been hidden so that nothing will interfere with whatever ambush you walked into." she tilted her head, making auburn locks fall over one shoulder. "A primitive trick really. Someone has altered the electromagnetic field around the building. It would be simple for me to disrupt it." her eyes came back to rest on Silver. "Want me to? I don't know how much time I could give you, and whoever has done this will certainly know about it."

"Do mine ears deceive me? The lovely Copper, shying away from causing havoc?" he grinned at her. Then he reached into a pocket. "Here."

She took the shiny metal object. It was smooth, cool to the touch, and she could feel Silver's power signature in its structure. "A rose? Why a rose?" she looked up at him in confusion.

"You know, I have no idea." he smiled again. "I was just playing with some cutlery I found in a drawer in the café while I was in there. I wasn't sure why I made it at the time."

"It was a fork?" she dead-panned.

"No. It was two forks and a spoon."

She growled. "Silver."

"Yes?" figuring he had tormented her enough for now – it really had been too long in his opinion – he grew serious once more. "What's the plan?"

Thoughtful, Copper weighed the metal rose in her hands. "Walk me around the perimeter. I want to know exactly what we're up against." She glanced behind him again, a thoughtful frown on her face. "I may have to call in some help though."

He smiled, reaching a hand into an inside pocket of his jacket and withdrawing more cutlery; a butter knife this time. "As you wish, but I should warn you that those beings are still around here."

A smirk blossomed on her face, brown eyes glowing mischievously. "All the better."

**o.O.o**

Sapphire had not moved from the window.

Steel had long ago moved to sit in a corner, his mind whirling ruthlessly, both berating himself for his stupidity and trying to figure out a way out of this mess. But Sapphire continued to stare out into space.

"Do you think Silver is safe?" she asked him suddenly, the first time in a while that she had spoken.

He made a non-committal noise; Steel had his own conclusions as to that idiot. He hadn't yet decided whether or not he believed Silver to be in on all this.

But even a part of Steel found this idea laughable; Silver's partner would kill him for betraying any of the Operatives, and Copper was not someone to be laughed at. However irritating he might find her the few times he saw her – Copper's role kept her out of the action much of the time – Steel respected her. Besides, she had her uses.

"Steel?" Her lovely voice broke him out of his thoughts.

"Yes?"

She gave him a rueful smile. "We really walked into this one didn't we."

Despite it not being a question, he replied, "Yes, we did."

"Do you think we'll get out of this?"

He paused before answering, sparing her a half glance. "We've been in bad situations before." His thoughts turned briefly to a disused railway before he forced them away again; no need to upset Sapphire with those thoughts.

"But maybe none so bad as this."

It was strange; usually she was the optimistic one and he the pessimist. Steel wasn't sure he was comfortable with this side of her.

Perhaps oddly, his thoughts turned to a conversation between himself, Silver and a few other male operatives. They had been discussing some of their partners, and at the time Silver was having troubles with Copper – there really seemed no end to the arguments between the two. That particular time was because of the outcome of a recent assignment; it had ended badly and Copper had taken it hard. None of them had been used to seeing the normally lively Copper dull and sad. In the end Lead had come up with some ridiculous plan just to get her to smile again.

Steel supposed that Sapphire was suffering a similar dilemma; she probably blamed herself in part. "It's not your fault you know."

Turning from the window to look at him, Sapphire's blue eyes were wide in barely veiled surprise. "Steel?"

"I said it's not your fault." with what was almost a sigh, he rose from his seat and walked over to stand beside her. "This, I mean. It isn't your fault. It's mine, and Silver's. We should have left the moment we knew something wasn't right."

The smile she gave him was soft, almost tender. "Thank you."

He didn't respond to that. There was no need to and besides, he wasn't sure how to reply.

**o.O.o**

"I don't think I've ever been so grateful for the duality of my talents." Copper stated blithely as they finished their little walk.

The statement made Silver chuckle. "Yes, I don't suppose you have." together they stopped near a twisted, ancient tree and watched the figures prowling in the darkness. "They really are being over-cautious, aren't they." he noted absently. Nothing more was said for several minutes, then they fidgeted. Simultaneously. He glanced at her again. "So what's the plan?"

Tossing her dark auburn hair back over her shoulder, Copper brushed a finger across the tip of her nose. "I will definitely need to call in help." she gave her partner a smirk. "Steel is gonna hate us you know."

The man in the pale grey suit twigged as her eyes glazed over in preparation for a long-range transmission.

"Wot we got 'ere then hey?"

If Silver's senses hadn't already been primed and aware then he would have jumped, he was certain. As it was he only turned around calmly, a benign grin already in place to greet the speaker. "Why, if it isn't Johnny Jack." subtly, he stepped between the thing and his partner. Argument or not, there was no way he would let harm come to Copper when he could prevent it. Making as though to peer around the creature he added, "But no family on your back?"

A flash of a smirk. "Who's your little lady friend?"

"No one for you to mind." he ignored the growing smirk on that inane face and grit his teeth.

"Of course, that doesn't mean you can ignore _me_." a deep voice boomed from the dark.

The ginger-haired man had no time to react, he was promptly picked up by an enormous pair of arms, turned and dumped unceremoniously onto the ground again. He tried to get up, Silver had to give him that much credit, but it just couldn't be done, and he flopped back down like a fish on dry land before he'd even lifted an inch.

"Silver, these are the Operatives I was on assignment with when you called." Copper said quietly, shaking herself from her trance and sending reddish hair flying as she did so. "Lead, and Jet."

A tall, athletic young woman stepped out from the shadows to stand beside the grinning giant. She was much taller than Copper, as tall as Sapphire in fact if not slightly more so, and dressed head to toe in black velvet for the occasion. Her hair was jet-black and pin-straight. Her eyes were the same, and she had an oriental feel to her appearance.

"Are you quite sure you can just leave an assignment like that? Control will not be happy." Silver warned, wary.

Jet smiled at him. "We were almost finished when you called Copper away." she explained, her voice soft. "We only had to finish and clean up after our selves."

"Silver, it has been too long!" Lead swept him up into a bone-crushing hug.

He spluttered "I missed you too, but I don't think I missed that."

"So, lovely Copper, what do you need us to do?" Lead asked her at last, releasing a wincing Silver. Jet chuckled, patting the smaller man's shoulder sympathetically.

Glancing around, Copper nodded to Silver. He took it as his cue to start talking. "I was sent on an assignment with Sapphire and Steel." he began, more breathlessly than he would have liked. "Something was strange about it from the off, but we couldn't work out why. During our investigation we encountered first a middle-aged couple, the girl, quite frankly, was not that attractive," he added as an aside to Copper, who huffed and nudged him to get him going again. "Then a younger man who was, quite frankly, a little odd. We were also dealing with the apparition of an old man and what I now realise were scheduled leaps forward in time interspersed with periods of frozen time."

"Sounds about normal for that pair." Lead said cheerfully. Jet rolled her eyes at her jovial partner.

"It confused us because everything, the location and the people, were all from different time periods. And we also realised that we were in a little time bubble as well. What I now know is that we were tricked." he turned to Jet. "Do you recall Steel's comment once about being offered a _new job_?"

She nodded slowly. "Yes, I had thought it strange. We are essentially born into our roles and it isn't easy for us to perform another."

"I received the same offer this evening." he checked his watch to confirm, nodded even though the watch had stopped once the trap was sprung, and gave them all a cheery smile. "Those _Transient Beings_ we were all warned about at one point or another, but I'm pretty sure we all ignored such warnings."

Jet gasped. "The ones trapped at the dawn of Time itself?Before it even began?" she shared a horrified glance with Copper, who had blanched and unconsciously caught hold of Silver's sleeve as though to prevent him from going anywhere. "But they are . . . they're _imprisoned_, Silver. They can't get out."

"Oh they got out alright. Built this little beauty." he gestured around them in a _look at this_ gesture. "By using this." he produced the box again and handed it to Jet for analysis.

"There is a magnetic field around the building they've trapped Sapphire and Steel in. THe building is a mere second out of sync with it's surroundings." Copper continued, still not letting go of Silver's sleeve. "While that may not seem like much, it's clearly enough to remove it from this dimension entirely. I can disrupt it long enough to get someone in and maybe out again, but I don't know for how long, and there are two more where this scum bag came from." she nudged Johnny on the ground, none too gently, with a foot. He twitched. "However, that would only be temporary. Ideally we need to isolate the source." now she turned to Silver. "Is this box linked to the other that they're using?"

He paused, took the box back and turned it over in his hands. "It's a direct copy." he said at last. "At least, a copy of a copy. The first one I made is lost or destroyed." he brought it up to his ear and tapped it gently with a finger. "I believe there is a connection, yes. Maybe not as strong as we'd have liked, but it's there. It would be risky."

Nodding, Copper turned to Lead. "Think you can isolate that connection? Insulate it so that nothing gets out"

Frowning with deep thought, the tall dark man nodded. "It's possible. But not guaranteed." he looked at Copper. "I'll need help."

"Silver can help you."

"And what will you be doing while I go off with Lead, hmm?" it was said cheerfully, but the others could see the hard edge to the silver-grey eyes.

"Jet will go in, get them, and get out. No questions, no interruptions. One clean, efficient extraction." she paused, then continued without looking at Silver, "I'll do what I did with the Atlantis disaster."

"No. Absolutely not. I refuse to allow that." Silver's tone brooked no argument.

Copper started it anyway. "You don't have to _allow_ anything." she retorted. "I'm doing it, and I'll be fine. It's not as big an area to enclose and I'm not a rookie any more."

Lead said nothing, only shared a glance with Jet. There was a reason these two were such a volatile combination; both Copper and Silver's elements were highly conductive and reactive. And an operative (to use the term in the general sense) always represented their element.

"The hell it isn't." Silver hissed, beginning to lose his temper. "Lead will be insulating the source. That is enough."

"It isn't and you know it."

"I am not watching you collapse in front of my eyes, Copper. You nearly killed yourself before. Let us at least call in Radium to back you up!"

"No time. She stroked his cheek fondly and then walked away, dismissing him from her mind. "Lead, Jet, get ready. I'm going to isolate the area from the source."

"Copper!"

"Coming." Jet threw an apologetic glance at Silver and followed the red-head. "Where do you need me to stand?"

"Right there." Copper pointed, well aware that their shouting had attracted attention. They'd only get one shot; the moment these beings realised what was going on all hell was going to break loose.

"Don't you walk away from me!" Silver shouted, grabbing her arm and pulling her back. Startled brown eyes met his. "This is too dangerous Copper. You need Radium to back up the energy you'll need to put into this."

"I'll try and draw some from the trap." She patted his arm, her eyes softening. "No need to worry, you'll see. It'll be just like Atlantis."

"I hope to whatever higher power is listening that it won't be." he responded tartly. Then, softer this time, "I thought Gold was the reckless one."

She chuckled. "Would you have me any other way?" she walked away again, her hand reluctant to leave his arm. "Let's do this."

Nodding, Jet got into position near Copper. Lead moved over to Silver, putting a large comforting hand on his shoulder. "She'll be fine. You'll see."

Silver didn't react, only moved so that the box was held between the two of them. "Let's get it over with." he groused. The sooner they did this, the sooner he could get Copper out of harm's way and back to help. But he couldn't help but glance over at her.

From where they were standing, he could see the girls' faces. Jet was stretching, preparing for a mad sprint inside a building that would appear, then disappear, her face stern and determined. Copper's face was blank, her eyes closed for the moment as she prepared for what she was about to do, mentally emotionally and physically.

Silver's mind tried to remind him that she knew the risks. As an Investigator she was more than capable of taking care of herself; she was often placed in situations where she had to figure out what was going on before reporting back, sometimes the most dangerous part of the whole ordeal, and the intelligence provided by Investigators was often what Control based their decisions on regarding cases. Things like case priority, danger levels, and agent assignments were based on what Copper and the other Investigators reported. Often they had direct input in these decisions. But part of Silver ignored this logical response.

Times like this were when he envied Steel for his ability to detach himself from the situation.

Lead grunted, indicating that he was ready, and with Silver's careful guidance, they isolated and insulated the source of power for the trap. The space in front of the girls flickered. Copper ran to a corner, put both hands flat onto something before her, a hand-space apart, and opened her eyes. Instantly, the brown vanished beneath a vivid pink-orange glow.

Something crackled. Jet braced herself, ready to run at a moments notice. The thing Copper was now pushing against became visible, coloured the same vivid shade of her eyes. The barrier warped, like a television struggling to find the right signal, and then faded altogether.

The building beyond faded into sight.

"Now!"

Jet flew inside.

The box in Silver and Lead's hands vibrated angrily.

Sweat beaded on Copper's brow.

Shouting, swearing, an unearthly wail and Silver could see the remaining two Transient Beings launch themselves at Copper, but the energy it took to manipulate the magnetic field protected her, for now.

Copper had begun to tremble.

**o.O.o**

"What is it?" Sapphire was staring around as the room shook and creaked. Outside was nothing but bright coloured light. There was the sensation of the building falling back to Earth, and the sensation of landing heavily sent them both to the floor. "Steel?"

"Sapphire!"

The blonde looked up from Steel's supporting arms. "Jet?"

"Thank goodness." the dark-haired woman cast an appraising glance at their surroundings. "Didn't leave you much did they."

"It would have been fatal if they had." Steel bit out. "What are you doing here, Jet?" Not to mention the _how_.

"Jail break." She grinned at them and hauled them both to their feet. Steel suffered the unnerving feeling of suddenly being much lighter than he should have been. "Sorry honey, but I need to get us out of here straight away. Copper can't hold this box of yours here for long."

Copper too? What on Earth had they missed? "Must be one hell of a party." Sapphire noted as they gained their balance, grinning at Steel's affronted look at being called 'honey' by anybody. "What's going on?"

"Lead and Silver have isolated the power source for your trap, and have reverse-insulated it." Jet spoke quickly, bouncing on the balls of her feet and clearly eager to be out of there. "Copper is tackling your box."

"And how, pray tell, is she doing that?" Steel asked dryly as they began running. Jet's little parlour trick – decreasing their mass – meant they moved quicker than normal. It came in handy; it felt like wading through syrup as things stood.

"She's isolated the trap from its source." Jet's expression turned worried. Very worried. "She's performing her triple plate stunt."

Steel actually stumbled as Sapphire let out a gasp.

Copper was virtually unique among the operatives; she was both conductor _and_ insulator. Her very nature circled this duality, and she could go to either extreme. It was her role as an insulator that had her officially partnered with Silver specifically, and there was one trick she could pull off that had come in handy a few times. As humans eventually discovered, by triple copper plating an electrical item one could protect it from outside electrical charges. The measure was usually implemented to protect against EMP charges and was highly effective.

It was also highly dangerous for Copper to attempt alone; the amount of energy it took to form the barrier and then stave off interference from any direction was phenomenal.

The only such occasion Silver was actually aware of involved a small continent and an attempt to stop the rest of the world disappearing into a Time vortex along with it. They had succeeded, barely. Silver had . . . not reacted well. They didn't tell him about it any more; even Steel could agree that this was the best course of action.

Copper was _triple plating a building_.

"Was one level not enough?" He asked as the exit came into sight.

"She wanted to do it properly." was the immediate response. "We were only going to get one shot. Those beings are still prowling around out there. We needed to give it our all. I decreased my mass before I even entered this warp. I decreased yours the moment I saw you." she cast an unreadable glance back at him. "We've taken every measure to ensure we get you out."

"Silver can't be happy about this." Sapphire observed, her own blue eyes concerned for the vivacious team member putting herself at risk outside.

The building fell away from their vision entirely and they were met with a distinctive bright pink-orange glow. The colour of polished copper.

"He's not." the syrup-sensation fell away little by little, as though reluctant to let them go.

As they passed through the glow, sounds filtered into their perceptions, then colours. There was a lot of shouting. The air practically vibrated with energy.

"Copper _now_!"

The light exploded out into the surrounding darkness with an almighty wrench. As the spots faded from Steel's sight he saw Silver give an alarmed shout and dart to something slumped on the ground. Steel, forgetting he was lighter than usual, raced over to Lead and the box he was holding. It was disorienting to suddenly find himself behind the giant Operative.

"Steel?" Lead had to shout to be heard over the racket that was Silver actually going to blows with the middle-aged agent. Jet hadn't been exaggerating; the normally even-tempered Specialist was _livid_.

"It's about time we gave these gentlemen a taste of their own medicine, don't you agree?"

Lead cut the insulating energy from the box and looked at the blond man now holding it. "Need some insulation?"

Steel paused. "Please." he nodded quickly. "Silver! Can we use it?"

Silver dodged a blow; Steel had never seen the man move so much, and he quickly realised that Silver was leading the male away from his partner, and that Jet and Sapphire were now beside Copper. "Yes, but be careful, it won't be as stable now!"

Steel nodded and focused on the man still lying on the ground, recognising him before the curly head of hair rose and watery eyes met his. He didn't give the man a chance. He wrenched open the lid and the beam of light that shot out to cover the man on the ground was so bright that both Steel and Lead were overwhelmed. There was an agonised scream. Then silence as Steel snapped the lid closed. Nobody moved.

Johnny Jack was gone.

The elderly agent was standing a little way away from the group, staring at the box in Steel's hands with a bemused expression, as though he couldn't believe it.

Silver looked from the box to the man. He had the other one by his lapels, and was sporting a cut lip for his troubles. For the briefest of seconds his eyes met Steel's . . .

Then he shoved the man by his lapels into the older male. "Now!"

Steel opened the lid once more.

When the light faded they were gone.

Nothing for several seconds. Then . . .

"Copper!" Silver lunged for her, kneeling down. The sheer relief he felt at seeing her lovely brown eyes open and looking at him nearly had him falling over. Without a second thought he scooped her up and held her gently, and Sapphire and Jet allowed him to, letting their hands fall from her form.

"Steel, they can still get out." Lead warned him.

"I know." the stoic blond was still holding the box, but now his grip was white-knuckled. "Lead-"

"I'm on it." The big man walked up behind Steel and, flexing his fingers, placed his hands on Steel's shoulders and grinned. "You're learnin' Steel."

Steel did not reply to that. His posture stiffened as he dropped his temperature. The screams began again.

From her place safe among friends, Copper winced and burrowed her face into Silver's chest. She didn't move even when the noise abruptly cut off.

Silence.

The operatives looked around and at each other. The building had failed to reappear, and as they watched time caught up to them. The sun began to rise.

"It's over." Sapphire said quietly. Her eyes caught on Steel, and she raised a hand to him. He took it without a word, handing Lead the box. The man raised it to his ear, then chuckled.

"You got them alright. What are we gonna do with them now?" He walked over to Silver and passed the box to him. Although the he eyed it warily he did take it briefly, but Lead knew better than to think he'd keep it. Silver passed it back almost immediately.

"I'll deal with it." Jet said calmly. She held her hands out for the box. "I think I know just where to put it."

"I'll go with her." Sapphire said suddenly. When Steel gave her a look she tutted. "Come on Steel, it'll be fine. I can't let her go alone."

Copper finally removed her head from Silver's shirt and glanced about in a dazed sort of way. "Did we do it?"

"We did." Silver told her, holding her tighter. "But you are never doing something like that again." he added sternly.

Sapphire smiled. Then Copper raised her hands for the box.

"What do you-"

"I'm going to preserve it." she said quietly. "I've got enough energy left to do it, and we need to. If I don't they could get out later. It won't stay sub-zero forever."" she added, looking at Silver. Then she grimaced, adding, "The only downside is that there is a risk that they could get out in the future."

Clearly, he didn't like it, but he nodded to Lead, who knelt beside her to hand the box over gently. She turned it in her hands for a moment, then put it by her ear, listening. Eventually a disgusted sneer crossed her face. "Scum bags." she muttered. Then she stilled. Copper's eyes glowed once more and the box shimmered for a moment. When the light died down again it looked different somehow. She handed it back without a word. "It should survive most things now." She was still awake, but her colour had paled again and her eyelids drooped.

"Stop pushing it." Steel admonished her, kneeling in front of her, then he turned to Silver. "Take her back." Sapphire smiled at the back of his head; as unemotional as he could be, Steel did care.

"Can you stand?" Steel asked Copper then, unaware of the thoughts of his partner.

She gave him an affronted look. "I can walk." well, as affronted as she could look, seeing as she looked as imposing as a kitten right then.

"Hmmm." Steel looked away, then back at her. "Let's start with standing first though, ok?" He helped Silver lift her to her feet and steady her, but Copper's legs buckled before they got even close to fully standing. "Maybe not." he jerked his head at Lead and the man got the hint.

Steel moved aside and Lead took his place, lifting her up into his arms like she weighed nothing at all. "Let's go Copper."

She stayed quiet, unusually docile. As they went to move past Silver she reached out and grabbed his sleeve. "I'm sorry." she said softly, before letting go again. Lead gave Silver a look before transporting himself and his injured comrade away.

"You know, you two are as bad as each other." Jet said suddenly, looking from Steel to Silver with her hand firmly on her hip and the box tucked under her other arm. At their nonplussed looks she only shook her head and turned away with a grinning Sapphire to deal with the box. The pair faded out of sight.

Silver wiped a hand over his face. "I hope I don't get paired with you and Sapphire for a while." he began to walk away too. "No offence, but I deserve a holiday after all this. A nice long holiday."

Steel looked around the area. No building, no ghosts, no distortions of any kind. "I think I'll join you."


End file.
